It has already become a well-known feature to provide readable (and/or write-able) labels to microscope slides. Such labels may typically bear a bar code or clear text, indicating information, such as a name of a patient, relating to one or more samples on a microscope slide.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,556 (Weissman; Oct. 1, 1996) discloses a slide analysis system with slide having self-contained microscope analysis information. A microscope slide having a pathology specimen thereon includes a machine-readable high density recording medium in the form of a magnetic strip, optical reading strip or the like. The read-write system further embodies elements for operative connection to a microscope system whereby a computer generated representation of the screening history of a pathology specimen is recorded and maintained during pathology analysis of the slide showing the mode and parameters of the analysis as well as position related events of interest. The computer generated screening representation is written to the recording medium by the read-write system, for constant proximate availability with the slide. The recording medium comprises sufficient capacity for encoding with patient identification and medical history information, and slide diagnostic information and analysis for pathological review of the particular pathology specimen on the slide. Compatible read-write systems permit reading and editing of recording media encoding for slide analysis at any time or place without requirements of correlative external files. The slide may comprise a label having some information written or printed in clear text and a magnetic strip or other machine-write-able and readable recording medium either directly below the label or arranged on the opposite side of the slide. This cited document does not consider the pre-treatment and staining process.
In another example, PCT Patent Publication WO 99/10763 A1 discloses a sample holder, which can process data and a method for analysing samples. The samples in question are biological samples such as tissue or body fluids to be examined by use of a microscope, and typically for diagnostic purposes, such as substantiating a cancer diagnosis. The sample holder has two areas; a first area for receiving the sample and a second area for identifying the sample. Said second area is provided with a writeable, readable, non-volatile memory, for example a smart chip, including an electronic circuit and a memory. The electronic circuit may comprise contacts or enable reading and writing of data by other means e.g., by inductive, capacitive or optical means.
In the above cited publication WO 99/10763 A1, it is also suggested to store information relating to the requested/specified sample examination, the manner, technique and execution steps of examination, report data, organisation data, and graphic data that are generated during the examination under a microscope and during a subsequent image processing, e.g., coordinates of reference points for the microscope on the sample surface, coordinate specific relations between examinations and examination results (multidimensional mapping information) e.g., cell maps, nucleic maps, gene maps, or protein maps, images of the samples.
The European Patent Application Publication EP 637 750 A2 (Feb. 8, 1995) discloses a method for analysis of liquid samples whereby data of high information density are arranged on containers with reagent solutions. The data serves to execute and control the analysis. Further disclosed in the above-cited European Patent Application Publication is a method for providing reagent containers with code carriers and a system for analysis of liquid samples using the reagent containers having code carriers. The code may be a bar code or a chip card, e.g., a contact free chip card applying a receiving/transmitting antenna coil.
Further, PCT Patent Application Publication WO 03/040697 relates to and considers the problems of cross-referencing identification of object supports for microtomed analytical samples and the generation of identification.
Also, articles having RF antennas are well known, e.g. from U.S. Pat. No. 6,353,420; inventor, Kevin Kwong-Tai Chung, titled “Wireless article including a plural-turn loop antenna.”